A Short List of Things Horses Do Need Us to Teach Them.
For all our love for horses, humans are still predators. We don't like to hear that. We're defensive; we've seen...
A Short List of Things Horses Don’t Need Us to Teach Them.
If Edgar Rice Burro were to title this Bev Doolittle-like photo, he might call it Beauty and the Beast. He...
Calming Signals: “But My Mare Likes This Bit”
I arrived at the clinic grounds Friday afternoon so I could meet the organizers and check out the facility. They'd...
Living the Question
"Why can't my horse behave for the farrier?" Sarah isn't the only one who asks this question. Picking up feet...
The Solitary Journey to the Heart of One Horse
I listened to a podcast interview with Jane Goodall this week. She is my personal superhero, and I will never...
Calming Signals and Whiskers
I always thought of grooming as part of the warm-up for the ride. It's the price paid up front, a...
Calming Signals: How the Farm Says Thank You.
It's Thanksgiving time and I should write something special, but I feel kind of ordinary. All I...
Human Calming Signals: Authenticity
Some people are just so effortlessly magic with horses. They seem to do nothing, but horses hang on their every...
Human Calming Signals: What’s Your Barn Persona?
How aware are we when we pull on a persona? We're usually aware when we tidy one up to make...
A List of Inedible Treats for Your Horse
It's funny how something someone says can turn over in your mind for years after. I had a visitor, and...
How a Legend is Born
What is it about horses? I think I might have drawn them on cave walls at the beginning of time,...
How to See It Like a Horse
My friend was tracing her Arabian's family tree. She'd driven north of Denver to see her horse's sire and ran...
Is Affirmative Training Denial?
It was during a meeting in an online class called Back in the Saddle. We'd shared videos of the week's...
Distraction: A Simple Answer for Bright Shiny Things
Is your horse distracted? Is he always swinging his head at every noise? Does he knock you with his...
Calming Signals and What You Can’t Unsee.
Our Barn Rat first met horses when she was three days old. She started earlier than some. Now, she's...
Making Peace with Anxiety
A caption for this photo? "Dressage rider doesn't grasp the fundamentals of team penning." How about "Dressage rider brings a...
Calming Signals and Living on the Ulcer Continuum
Forty years ago, we didn't know about ulcers. Some horses acted crazy and we tried to train them out of...
Affirmative Training and the Rhythm Method
Remember when you first heard the term The Rhythm Method? I was almost certain it had to do with something...
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